


Fool's Gold

by renegaderose40



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Draco Malfoy - Freeform, F/M, Harry Potter - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:48:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27691666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/renegaderose40/pseuds/renegaderose40
Summary: Evelyn Fielding is a fifth year Hufflepuff who just wants to join Dumbledore's Army and get good grades. But when her childhood friend Draco Malfoy reappears in her life, Evelyn must decide between loyalty to her friends and helping the boy she might be falling for. Begins in Order of the Phoenix, ends after the war with Voldemort.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/OC
Kudos: 1





	1. Return

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't read OoTP in almost a decade so please point out if I get anything wrong.

Another foggy day in London passed into obscurity as Evelyn Fielding waited for the Hogwarts Express to leave. She’d said farewell to her family outside of King’s Cross Station; her mother’s severe expression was as unfeeling as ever, and her father had refused to even acknowledge her. Only her younger brother Edmond had seemed sad to see her go, frustrated that he would now be left alone to endure their mother’s fickle moods. 

Evelyn tugged at the sleeves of her navy jumper and leaned her head against the chilly window, thankful for the quiet in the otherwise uninhabited cabin. She’d spent the entire summer riding her bicycle to the muggle library, where she’d read through most of the classic fiction section by the end of August. Silence had surrounded her for the better part of four months, and she enjoyed its company. 

As if in response to her mental musings, the door slid open and three girls poured into the cabin. Two of them, lost in a fit of giggles, toppled onto the soft leather bench opposite her. The third entered with a somber and quiet dignity, and sat close beside Evelyn. 

“I saw your sister when I was getting my robes fitted yesterday,” the first girl, Gracie, said with a grin. 

“Did you?” Evelyn responded with a forced smile of her own. Her older sister Madeline had finished at Hogwarts the previous year, and she now worked as an apprentice at Madam Malkin’s, hoping to design her own line of dress robes one day. Madeline had quickly become the favorite child when Evelyn embarrassed the family five years ago, and the two sisters hadn’t gotten along since. 

“Yeah,” Gracie continued. She slipped a scrunchie from her wrist and piled her curly red hair into a bun. “She didn’t recognize me at first, but when I told her I was your friend, she threatened to charge me extra.” 

“Madeline always was a bitch,” the second girl, Rachel, said as she polished her glasses.

“You just don’t like her because she turned down your invitation to the Yule Ball last year,” the third girl, Cho, whispered. Evelyn bit back a smile as Rachel’s face flushed from embarrassment. Cho didn’t speak often, but when she did, she rarely held back. 

“She was too old for you anyway,” Gracie said with a dismissive wave of her hand. 

The train finally moved, and the four girls settled into the gentle sway of the locomotive. Gracie and Rachel returned to whatever conversation had spurred on their giggles before. This left Cho and Evelyn in a companionable silence that lasted most of the ride. Eventually Evelyn felt the other girl’s head on her shoulder. She heard a slow, steady breathing that let her know Cho had fallen asleep. 

Although all four girls had been friends since Evelyn’s first year, Rachel and Gracie had spent the summer together on Gracie’s farm, strengthening their bond. The past summer had also brought Cho and Evelyn especially close together following the death of Cho’s boyfriend, Cedric. While Rachel and Gracie were loving and dedicated friends, they could not relate to Cho’s grief. This left Evelyn as her primary support through weekly letters in which the two girls discussed everything that troubled them. 

The sun fell below the horizon and Evelyn gently woke her slumbering friend. The four girls changed into their school robes, Cho and Rachel donning the blue of Ravenclaw while Gracie and Evelyn dressed in the yellow and black of Hufflepuff. The train finally came to a stop, and they reached overhead to retrieve their trunks. Evelyn helped Cho with her owl’s cage, then she scooped her cat Jude under her free arm. 

“All ready?”

Percy Weasley stood in the doorway, chipper as ever. He gave the girls a double thumbs-up and then disappeared down the hall without another word. 

“Guess he’s Head Boy, then” Gracie said as they stepped onto the train platform. 

“He’s got his wand up his own ass. Should be an interesting year,” Rachel muttered. They climbed into the horseless carriages that took them to the castle, craning their necks to get an excellent view of the highest towers. They hopped down once they reached the large oak doors.

Cho and Rachel waved goodbye and went to stand with the other Ravenclaw students, and Gracie left Evelyn to join a group of fellow sixth years. The only fifth year in her friend group, Evelyn was left on her own. The sensation of solitude while submerged in the crowd was not as welcome as the peace of the train.

She felt a shiver run down her spine, and she turned to see a pair of grey eyes locked on her. Draco Malfoy was watching her. 

She hadn’t spoken to him since the fateful day when she was sorted into Hufflepuff, the first of her family not to join Slytherin, and earned the loathing of every pureblood child she’d once called a friend. Draco had been her childhood friend, but he’d left her high and dry, and she’d wanted nothing to do with him since. So why did she feel butterflies in her stomach and a heat rush to her cheeks when he looked at her?

She quickly looked away, smothering her feelings, and followed the other Hufflepuffs into the castle. She stared at the ceiling during the sorting ceremony, trying not to relive the moment that had torpedoed her life years ago. Once the feast began she moved to a seat closer to Gracie.

She ate and laughed as she told the students surrounding her about a muggle vampire movie she’d watched over the summer. The incorrect vampire lore appalled them, but they were even more upset by the blatant codependency of the major characters. Their interest in the movie continued even after Dumbledore dismissed them, and a throng of avid listeners followed Evelyn out of the Great Hall as she continued her story.

She was distracted as they turned into the corridor with the large painting that led to the kitchens. She felt the same chill on her spine and hesitated, turning to see Draco staring at her again. He stood in the doorway of the Great Hall flanked by his two minions, Crabbe and Goyle. She glared at him, but he did not break eye contact. Frowning, she forgot about her vampire movie and the surrounding students dispersed. 

“What’s wrong?” Gracie asked, noting her change in mood. 

“Nothing,” she said as she turned back to the wall of barrels that concealed the Hufflepuff common room. She heard the prefect utter the words “Helga Hufflepuff” as she tapped the barrels, and they rolled smoothly to the side. The group of students filed into the large space that was revealed.

Evelyn felt the tension relax from her shoulders as she stepped into the Hufflepuff common room. Yellow and black banners hung on the walls, and the fireplace in the center of the room had dancing badgers carved into the mantle. Above the mantle was a portrait of Helga Hufflepuff, who waved eagerly at her returning students and greeted the newly sorted first years. Comfy chairs surrounded the room, along with golden wood tables for studying. A significant number of houseplants emitted a soft welcoming hum. 

It was the most cheerful place Evelyn had ever stepped foot in. Being there made her grateful the Sorting Hat had chosen her as a member of the least prestigious but most wholesome house at Hogwarts. 

She took a seat on the floor by the fire with Gracie and some other students, sharing stories of what they’d done over the summer and their hopes for the upcoming year.

“To bed, all of you! It will be a long day of classes tomorrow,” prefect Jason Whitaker called after a few well-spent hours. 

Evelyn followed the other fifth year girls through the barrel shaped hole that led to their dormitory. She climbed into bed and laughed to herself, thinking that the door to their dormitory looked like a Hobbit hole from the Tolkien books she’d read that summer. She wondered how many magical folk knew about the fantastical lore that muggles explore in their imagination. What would they say if they knew every muggle child wished for a bit of magic?

 _They’d probably think it made wizards better than muggles_ , she thought bitterly, recalling the anti-muggle teachings her father had been adamant about in her youth. Thoughts of her father and his intolerance, his borderline xenophobia, brought unwanted thoughts of Draco. 

She remembered the days spent at his manor house, back when Hogwarts was just a far-off dream. He’d looked down on her fascination with muggles then, but she had thought nothing of it. Now he wouldn’t stop staring at her, and she wondered if he’d somehow figured out how she’d spent her summer absorbing as much muggle literature as she could. Had it had tainted her, as her father always said it would? Could Draco see that she sympathized with muggles, like a dirty aurora that surrounded her?

 _Don’t be ridiculous_ , she thought as she drifted towards sleep. But if he wasn’t staring at her because he knew her secret, then what did he want from her?


	2. Room of Requirement

Ink dripped from her quill as Evelyn pondered a particularly confusing paragraph in _Magical Drafts and Potions_. She’d had the book since her first year, and her tendency to hoard even the most useless items meant it was still buried at the bottom of her trunk years later. She sat at a table in the back of the library with Gracie, who was hidden behind her Astronomy textbook. Professor Snape had requested twelve inches of parchment on the qualities of moonstone, and the worn book by Arsenius Jigger contained the only reference to the illuminating stone that Evelyn could remember. 

The school year had been rather uneventful so far, particularly because of the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. The classes she had once looked forward to had become terribly boring, and she learned for a more practical use of her education. She’d written a letter to her father who worked at the Ministry, asking why they felt the need to exude such control over Hogwarts. Unsurprisingly, he had not replied. 

There were also dozens of additional punishments for offenses that hadn’t existed before, and Umbridge’s bureaucratic obsession was giving Evelyn a headache. The days of a whimsical and carefree Hogwarts seemed to have left with Dumbledore when he went on the run weeks ago. 

She heard a commotion from the front of the library and looked up to see Rachel running towards their table. 

“Evie — you’ve got to come — quick,” she panted, seizing Evelyn by the arm and hauling her out of her chair. 

“What is it?” Evelyn asked as she and Gracie followed Rachel down the hall into a maze of stairways.

“Cho,” was all Rachel said in explanation, and once they reached the seventh floor, Evelyn saw why. A small crowd had formed, and Rachel elbowed her way to the front, making room for Evelyn and Gracie to follow. Cho knelt at the center of the commotion, her hair hiding her face. Even over the voices of dozens of students, Evelyn could hear Cho sobbing. 

“Give her some space!” Gracie ordered. A few people drifted away, but the group did not disperse entirely. 

Evelyn bent down beside her friend and immediately saw the reason for her emotional meltdown. Her books lay scattered on the ground, and among them was a handwritten note. It read, “meet me on the quidditch pitch at 8:00?” There was an animated drawing of a boy and a girl chasing each other on broomsticks, and at the bottom Cedric had signed his name. 

“I don’t know what happened,” Rachel said. “We were on our way to meet you at the library when she dropped her books. Then she just started crying, and she won’t stop.”

She must have dislodged the note when she’d dropped her books. The memory of her deceased sweetheart had sent Cho over the edge, causing her to collapse in tears where she stood. 

“Let’s get her somewhere more private,” Evelyn suggested. Gracie gathered her books while Rachel and Evelyn supported Cho between them. They made their way down the hall in search of an empty room, passing by the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. 

“I think we just passed a room,” Gracie said, and they retraced their steps. 

“I don’t see anything,” Rachel complained, and Gracie shrugged in apology. 

The four girls passed the tapestry again, and this time a sudden movement caught Evelyn’s eye. 

“There’s the door!” she exclaimed, dragging Cho and Rachel back the way they’d come. 

“Told you,” Gracie muttered as she pushed open the large oak door. The four girls stepped inside a spacious room, empty except for a large couch. They eased Cho down onto the cushions, where she continued to cry. 

“I’m sorry for the theatrics. I just... I miss him so much,” Cho sobbed, and Evelyn put an arm around her shoulder.

“You don’t have to apologize. We understand, it takes time to heal,” she said, smoothing the other girl’s hair away from her flushed face.

“And we’re here for you, as long as you need,” Gracie added, taking Cho’s hand in both of hers.

Cho sobered after a few minutes, and the four girls remained on the couch together, talking and laughing for the rest of the afternoon. 

“Rachel and I have got to take our books back to the common room before dinner,” Cho said eventually, signaling the end of their reverie. 

“See you later, then,” Gracie said as they stepped out of the room. As she and Evelyn made their way back to the library to gather their things, Evelyn turned to see that the door they’d just walked through was no longer there. 

“Don’t you think it’s weird how that room appeared?” Evelyn asked, but Gracie merely shrugged. 

“It’s a weird school, Evie. There’s bound to be a few weird rooms here and there,” she explained offhandedly. 

Evelyn nodded, but still something about the situation seemed strange, even by Hogwarts standards. 

Once they returned to the library, Evelyn suggested that Gracie go to dinner without her; there was something she wanted to research. The nagging need to know why that room seemed so strange surpassed her desire for food. 

Evelyn spent the remainder of the evening looking for references to a vanishing room at Hogwarts, but she couldn’t find anything even remotely close to the room they’d found that afternoon. 

Eventually she gave up, accepting that the great tomes of the library had bested her. She made her way to the main floor and past the Great Hall, knowing dinner was long over. She was almost to the painting near the kitchens when she heard someone whisper her name. 

Harry Potter seemed to materialize out of thin air, and Evelyn stifled a scream. She didn’t even think he knew who she was, although they’d had Herbology together for five years. 

“I need to speak to you,” he said urgently, and Evelyn glanced unintentionally at the wall of barrels behind her. It was almost time for all students to return to their common rooms. Soon the teachers would begin their patrol of the castle, and she didn’t want to get caught out of her dormitory. But exciting things always happened when the famous Potter was around, and her curiosity was impossible to ignore. 

“Sure,” she agreed, following him all the way back to the seventh floor. 

“I saw you and your friends with Cho this afternoon,” Harry whispered. “You walked over there, then you disappeared into a room. I tried to follow you, but the door had disappeared. How did you do it?” 

“I don’t know,” Evelyn admitted. 

“I’ve heard rumors — rumors of a room that appears only when someone needs it. Does that sound like what you found this afternoon?” he asked, and she nodded. “I need to find that room,” he said urgently, and Evelyn frowned. What use could Harry possibly have for the couch and airy room she and her friends had sat in that afternoon?

“The contents of the room change depending on why the person needs it,” Harry explained, sensing her confusion. 

“And why do you need it?” Evelyn asked. Harry’s expression became guarded.

“I’ll help you find the room again if you agree to let me and my friends in on whatever scheme you’re planning,” she told him. Harry looked as though he wanted to deny the existence of any scheme, but his reputation for starting trouble was well known throughout the school by now. 

“Fine,” he agreed.

“Alright. Well, I think it was about here,” Evelyn said, walking over to the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. “We walked past this area, and then we turned back around...and then we walked past it again,” she said, narrating her movements as she moved. Nothing happened. Evelyn shrugged. 

“That’s all we did. Maybe the door changes location, or something,” she suggested, but Harry shook his head. 

“No, this has got to be it,” he said, and he sounded as though he was trying to convince himself as much as Evelyn. 

“Ok, well at the time, all I could think was how we needed to find a room for Cho to relax and calm down — some privacy. You said the room appears based on what you need. So let’s ‘need’ something, and maybe it will appear.

“That’s a good idea,” Harry agreed. “Let’s need… Dumbledore once told me he found a room full of hundreds of toilets when he needed the loo in the middle of the night. Maybe we could find that room,” he suggested. 

Evelyn and Harry both concentrated on their chosen subject and passed the blank space on the wall three times. A door slowly materialized, and Harry grinned. 

“So what do you need this room for? Endless toilets?” Evelyn asked in a joking tone, but Harry’s expression was serious.

“We’re going to defeat Umbridge,” Harry told her, and she stared at him in surprise.

“Who is ‘we’? And do you really think you have a chance against a Ministry approved witch?” 

“You’ll see at our first official meeting next week. Everything is already decided, we just needed a place to meet,” he said.

“But do you have a chance?” Evelyn repeated.

“We have to try,” Harry told her, and to Evelyn’s surprise, that was enough.


	3. Spy

“Great job! Now flick your wand with more force — that’s it, excellent!”

Evelyn allowed herself a self-assured smile as Harry complimented her technique when casting a disarming spell. 

“Expelliarmus,” she repeated, and this time George Weasley’s wand flew from his hand. She’d been practice-dueling the ginger twin for the duration of their Dumbledore’s Army meeting, finally succeeding right as Harry walked by.

“Well done,” George said, coming over to give her a high-five. 

“Protego!” Rachel shouted, deflecting Neville Longbottom’s incoming expelliarmus spell. 

“Great effort, but you don’t have to scream it,” Gracie called to her from across the room, and Rachel rolled her eyes. 

“Alright, that’s it for today,” Harry announced, just as Hermione Granger stunned Ron Weasley with a powerful  _ stupefy. _

“Told you she’d get the best of him” Fred Weasley said as his brother covertly passed him two galleons. Fred noticed Evelyn watching and gave her a smile. “Never bet against a woman,” he told her with a wink. 

“Sorry Ron, are you alright?” Hermione asked with concern as Harry revived his friend. 

“I’m fine,” he muttered in a disgruntled tone as the surrounding students struggled to hide their laughter. Neville offered him a hand as he climbed off the ground, but Ron shrugged him off. 

“Fantastic work today, everyone. Same time next week,” Harry said to the two dozen students from Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, and Hufflepuff gathered around him. Evelyn couldn’t recall a time when she’d seen so many students from different houses working together and encouraging each other. She felt genuinely pleased to be part of their little magical community. 

The students filed out of the Room of Requirement in small groups to avoid drawing attention to themselves. As Evelyn and her friends exited through the door, she felt as though she was floating on a cloud of contentment. She’d finally mastered a spell she’d struggled with since her second year, and it was all thanks to Harry and his ingenuity. Evelyn knew that if they’d left magical education in the hands of Umbridge, she wouldn’t improve enough to pass her O.W.L.s. 

“I see you’re spending a lot of time with Potter these days,” a sardonic voice called from down the hall. Evelyn knew the words were directed at her, and she whispered for her friends to go on without her.

“Are you sure? He looks like he’s up to no good, as usual,” Gracie whispered back.

“Just have dinner without me. I’ll catch up with you once I put him in his place,” Evelyn said, and the three girls headed down to the Great Hall without her. 

She retraced her steps, walking down the hallway to the spot where the acrid voice had originated. 

Draco Malfoy stood beside the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy, leaning with his shoulder against the wall and his arms crossed over his chest. She hated the way his gaze caused heat to rise to her cheeks, and she desperately hoped he wouldn’t notice. 

“What does it matter to you who I spend my time with?” she asked, matching his biting tone.

“It’s none of my business, of course,” he said as she approached. “I just thought being the only blood traitor in your family was bad enough. You had to make it worse by hanging around Potter like a moth drawn to his weak little flame.”

Evelyn heaved a sigh. She was going to miss dinner just to hear Draco engage in yet another rant about how much he despised Harry. 

“What do you want, Malfoy?” she asked, urging him to get to the point. 

“I want to make a deal,” he said, surprising her. What could she possibly have that he would want? “As you probably know, Professor Umbridge has appointed an Inquisitorial Squad,” he began, and she groaned.

“Do you really think I’d be willing to join your band of bullies?” she asked him, and he let out a harsh laugh. 

“I’m not asking you to join. I want you to tell me what Potter and his minions are up to, and I’ll repay you however you like,” he told her. 

Evelyn’s gut reaction was to tell him to piss off; didn’t he know she was loyal to her friends first? But the more she considered it, the more appealing his offer became. Surely she could give Malfoy some information without completely betraying Dumbledore’s Army…. She knew it was a selfish mode of thinking, but having Draco in her debt was too good a prize to pass up. 

“Alright, I’ll do it,” she said against her better judgement. 

Draco grinned, and her heartbeat drummed in her ears. She tried not to think of how handsome he’d become since the last time she’d gotten a good look at him. 

“Seems like you’ve got more Slytherin blood in you than I thought,” he sneered, and her opinion of him switched back to distaste once again. Evelyn wanted to wipe that smirk off his face, and she spoke without thinking. 

“As part of our deal, I want you to accompany me to Hogsmeade on the last weekend before the Christmas holiday,” she said, and the shock on his face was almost worth betraying her friends. 

“That’s a ridiculous request. I won’t do it,” he said, and Evelyn wagged a finger in his face. 

“You said I could have  _ anything  _ I wanted. That’s my price, take it or leave it,” she said.

“Fine,” he said after a long pause. “If you deliver, you’ll have what you want,” he said begrudgingly. Now it was Evelyn’s turn to grin as she imagined the horror and embarrassment Draco would endure while walking arm in arm with her in a few months’ time. 

“I’ll meet you here next week, after our meeting. But try not to announce yourself next time, I don’t want my friends getting suspicious,” Evelyn told him, and Draco ignored her criticism with a wave of his hand. 

“I’ll do as I please. See you later, traitor,” he said, turning on his heel and walking down the hall without another word. 

Evelyn stared after him, trying to reconcile the young man who infuriated her with the young boy from her memories. Draco had once been her closest confidant, her best friend. She remembered her first train ride to Hogwarts, when they’d shared a cabin and she’d known he was proud to call her his companion. In those days she’d secretly planned out their first kiss, romanticizing her adolescent crush until he’d resembled an Arthurian knight. Nothing could have prepared her for the reality of his cold and hostile treatment of her over the years since then. 

She realized she’d been pacing as she thought. As she reminisced about how lost she’d become since Draco ended their friendship, the Room of Requirement door materialized before her. She stepped forward, wondering if there was a place in the Room for all the things people had lost. 

The door swung open at her touch, and she stepped into a maze of objects stacked to the ceiling. Odds and ends littered the floor, but a narrow path wound through the towers of items. She passed by a table on its side precariously balanced atop a large vase, and an upside down lamp shaped like a butterfly. 

The deeper she wandered into the room, the more apparent it became that this space could continue on forever. She noticed a large black cabinet to her right, and impulse prompted her to open it. It was empty, which struck Evelyn with an inexplicable pang of disappointment. She grabbed the butterfly lamp and placed it inside, then closed the door. 

She heard a click that sounded like a lock turning, and she pulled on the door to make sure she hadn’t bolted it shut. When she opened the cabinet, the lamp was no longer there. Evelyn frowned, wondering what had happened to the lamp. 

Her stomach rumbled, and she realized with a groan of frustration that she’d missed dinner again. Perhaps the Room could conjure up a meal for her? Evelyn retraced her steps and exited the Room, then walked by the spot on the wall three times while focusing on a delicious four course meal. The door appeared, and she stepped inside to find an elaborately set dining table with a seat for one. But the plate was empty. 

Apparently the Room of Requirement did not defy the basic rules of magic. Which, she reasoned, meant the butterfly lamp had not merely disappeared. The cabinet must have transported it somewhere. Another puzzle for her to solve in the library, she supposed. But on another night, as the evening was waning. 

Evelyn made her way back to the Hufflepuff common room, where she knew tea and cakes would await as an after dinner snack. The house-elves had always taken a particular liking to Hufflepuff students, although Evelyn did not know why. 

“Where have you been?” Gracie demanded as Evelyn helped herself to three scones and a hot cup of tea. 

“Library,” Evelyn lied easily through a mouthful of pastry. It surprised her how quickly the deception had escaped her mouth. Perhaps Draco was right — she had more Slytherin in her than she liked to admit.


	4. Reward

“I need more information.”

Evelyn sighed and rubbed her face with her hands. She and Draco were sequestered in an empty classroom on the seventh floor, where they’d met once a week for the past three months. She had steadily supplied him with small bits of knowledge about Dumbledore’s Army, but she had not given away anything especially useful. Now Umbridge was cracking down on her Inquisitor’s Squad and demanding that they catch Harry and his followers in the act of insurrection. As a result, Draco was no longer satisfied with her small tidbits of information.

“I’ve said all I can,” she told him, rising from her seat in the front row of desks. 

“I need to know exactly where the next meeting will be. I know it’s on this floor, but there’s some sort of secret room you’ve been using. Tell me how to get inside,” he demanded from behind the teacher’s desk, leaning forward with his weight on his palms. It might have been intimidating if she hadn’t known him long enough to remember when he was afraid of the dark. 

“You know I can’t tell you that.”

“Then the deal is off,” he said, standing up straight and heading for the door.

“Hang on, I did everything you said! You can’t just back out of our deal now, not with the last Hogsmeade trip coming up,” she said, hating the pleading tone in her voice but hoping it might change his mind. 

“Give me what I want, or I walk away,” Draco said with his hand on the door. Evelyn shook her head with pursed lips. She wished she could be more selfish, but there was no way she’d give up her friends in Dumbledore’s Army. 

“Fine,” he said with a shrug, and a moment later he disappeared. 

Evelyn slammed her fist onto the desk in frustration. Pain throbbed in her hand and she cradled it to her chest, but it felt good to get out her irritation. Why did he have to be such an ass? And why did she still want him?

She walked out of the classroom and made her way to her Muggle Studies class. It was her favorite course, and one she excelled at because of personal interest and natural talent. Just before she reached the door to the classroom, she heard someone call her name. She turned and saw one of the Weasley twins headed towards her at a jog; it was impossible to tell them apart from a distance. She recognized Fred by his abundance of freckles as he came closer. 

“Hey, Evelyn. Got any plans this weekend?” he asked, and she shrugged. Evelyn had gotten to know Harry and his friends better during their weekly DA meetings, but she hadn’t expected them to extend their acquaintance beyond the Room of Requirement. 

“Cool, cool. Well, George and Angelina are going to Hogsmeade together; they’re doing everything together these days, actually. Anyway, I don’t want to be a third wheel, so I was wondering if you would go with me,” he said in a nervous rush. 

“As a fourth wheel?” she joked, and she could see the relief wash over him. 

“Exactly,” Fred agreed with a smile. “Just to keep things symmetrical.”

“Of course I’ll go, then,” she told him with a smile of her own.

“Cool, cool. I’ll meet you in the courtyard Saturday at noon,” he told her, just as other fifth year students began to crowd around the door to the classroom. 

“See you then,” she said with a wave, and she watched him go before she turned to go inside. Evelyn remained distracted throughout the entirety of her Muggle Studies class; luckily she knew enough about mobile phones to pass the pop quiz at the end of the period. It wasn’t until she went to the library after dinner that she got a second opinion on her interaction with Fred. 

“Did Fred Weasley ask me out? Like, on a date?” She asked her friends as they sat around a table in the back of the library where they could talk freely. 

“I’d have to say yes,” Rachel said definitively, but Gracie wanted details. 

“ _How_ did he ask you? Did he say _will you go with me_ or _do you want to go with me_?”

“What does it matter?” Cho asked, but Gracie insisted. 

“I can’t remember,” Evelyn told them. “He just seemed nervous, like he really wanted me to say yes.”

“Nervous is good,” Gracie said with a thoughtful nod, like she was analyzing a complicated arithmancy problem. “It means he was self-conscious, which means he probably really likes you. If he was confident, it would mean he didn’t care,” she explained. 

“Good to know,” Cho muttered, and Gracie turned to face her. 

“I’m sorry, is something bothering you?” she asked, her tone bordering on hostile. 

“No, it’s just…”

“What?” Rachel pressed, sensing the drama that was about to unfold. 

“Well, Harry kissed me yesterday. And he always seems nervous around me, so I guess that means -”

“ _He kissed you_?” all three girls cried in unison, earning them a dirty look from the table of Slytherins nearby.

“When were you going to tell us?” Gracie demanded in an exasperated whisper, and Cho tried to hide her grin. Her cheeks were red, and although Evelyn knew she disliked being the center of attention, she seemed pleased.

“It was just one kiss. It doesn’t really mean anything.”

“You kissed Harry Potter. Harry _Potter_ . The most famous wizard since, like _Merlin_? And you don’t think it’s a big deal?” Rachel gushed, and Cho merely shrugged. 

“So both of you have boyfriends now. Where’s my gorgeous lover?” Gracie whined. 

“He’s not my boyfriend!” Cho and Evelyn both said at the same time, and all four girls burst into giggles. 

***

“Butterbeer. Neither butter, nor beer. But still purely delicious,” Fred said after a long gulp from his drink. 

Evelyn smiled in what she hoped was an encouraging way as he tried to keep the conversation going between them. George and Angelina sat across the table, but they were completely absorbed in each other’s attention. Evelyn suspected that if a fire broke out in The Three Broomsticks, the two lovers wouldn’t notice until their flesh melted away. 

The chemistry wasn’t as palpable between her and Fred. She liked him well enough, but it seemed they had little in common besides their shared association with Dumbledore’s Army. They had always enjoyed each other’s company during DA meetings when he’d joke about the other members and keep her laughing for hours. But without something to make fun of, there wasn’t any connection that bound them together. 

Silence settled between them, and she could feel Fred staring at her. He wanted her to say something, but she couldn’t think of anything. What were they supposed to talk about, the weather?

She was saved from having to decide on a conversation topic when she felt a hand on her shoulder. 

“I see Weasleby has charmed his lover into silence,” a voice said behind her. Evelyn’s heart went into overdrive as she recognized the voice, and she could feel each of his fingers distinctly through her thick sweater. 

“Piss off, Malfoy,” Fred spat. Only once Fred spoke did Evelyn allow herself to believe that Draco really was touching her. 

“I just came to save my dear friend Evie. She’s clearly dying of boredom,” Draco said with syrupy sweetness, his tongue caressing her childhood nickname in a way that sent her head spinning. She wanted to hear him say it again, but breathlessly between kisses. Good lord, what had gotten into her?

“I said piss off,” Fred repeated, rising from his chair. Sensing a fight, Evelyn shot up from her seat and stood between them. 

“It’s alright, Fred,” she said, her voice trembling as Draco took her hand and led her to the bar. “I’ll meet up with you back at the castle, okay?” she called over her shoulder as they disappeared through the crowd. She did her best to ignore the stab of guilt in her gut as she left Fred alone. _It wasn’t that great of a date, anyway_ , she told herself. Nevertheless, Fred deserved better than being ditched. 

_He doesn’t matter; now you get what you wanted_ , she thought selfishly. She was sitting at the bar with Draco, just as she’d dreamed all those years back when she’d planned their first date. 

“I thought you didn’t associate with blood traitors?” she teased bravely, desperately hoping they could fall back into the same banter they’d enjoyed in their youth.

“I wanted to keep my word,” he said with a genuine smile, and Evelyn grinned back like a flower facing the sun. _Does he know how much I want him?_ She wondered in a sudden panic. She was being frightfully obvious, after all. 

Draco ordered them a pair of Butterbeers, then stared at her intently over his glass as he took a drink. _Of course he knows._

“Now that I’ve embarrassed Weasley by stealing away his true love, we have to appear involved to make him jealous. He’s still watching us,” Draco explained, and Evelyn felt a stab of disappointment. He wasn’t really interested in her beyond using her to hurt someone else. Of course, was that really a surprise?

“So we’re fake dating now? That doesn’t really end the way you’d expect, if muggle romance novels are anything to go on,” she said, determined not to let him see that he’d hurt her. 

“One fake date. Not the same thing,” he corrected, and she rolled her eyes. 

“What does one talk about on a fake date, then?” she wondered, and Draco sneered.

“Well, we both know your only interest is muggles, and I refuse to debase myself with that subject. So we’ll talk about something I find interesting, naturally.” 

“How’s the Slytherin quidditch team doing this year?” Evelyn asked with genuine interest, and she saw surprise briefly flit across Draco’s face. Did he really think she’d forget his greatest love had always been flying?

“We did alright, until Umbridge made it forbidden for anyone to even enter the quidditch pitch,” he said darkly, and Evelyn winced. She’d forgotten that the tyrannical High Inquisitor’s reign had left nothing untouched. 

“Why are you working for her, anyway? I mean, I know you’d cut off your thumb for a taste of power, but she’s horrible,” Evelyn said, and Draco shook his head.

“I was helping her because Father wanted to get on her good side. I’m done with it now, though.”

“What happened?”

“I told her that Potter’s group wasn’t meeting anymore,” he said with a shrug. “She wanted to know who my source was so she could question them herself, but I refused. So she sacked me.”

“You’d face your father’s wrath to protect me?” she asked with an incredulous smile, her face warm. 

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” he said, not meeting her eye. _He does feel something_ , she decided, although what exactly she wasn’t sure. The friendship they’d had before clearly lingered between them. 

“That was a long time ago. I didn’t realize...I didn’t know…” she faltered, not sure how to say what she felt. _I didn’t know you still cared,_ she wanted to scream, but the words wouldn’t leave her mouth. 

“We were best friends, Evie. That doesn’t just go away. But when you chose to love _muggles_ over your own family, I couldn’t pretend like nothing happened.”

“I didn’t _choose_ anything, Draco. The Sorting Hat chose Hufflepuff, not me,” she said hotly, offended by his disdain. 

“Whatever. My point is, we couldn’t be friends like we used to be. Not publicly. But that doesn’t change how I feel about you.”

“What about now? You’ve defied your father once, and I’m sure he was the one who told you to abandon me when we were kids. You stood up to him for me once, can you do it again?”

“Evie, I have a reputation to uphold,” he said quietly, the two of them leaning forward so she could hear him better. Her gaze unintentionally drifted down to his lips, and she wanted nothing more than to reach out and stroke his cheek.

“It’s been _five years_ , Draco. Haven’t you punished me enough?” she whispered, her eyes welling with tears. She was so close to having him back in her life; she didn’t know if she could bear losing him a second time. 

“Maybe there’s a way…” he began, and she felt her breath catch in her throat. “You’re good at Potions, right?” he asked, and she nodded. Evelyn rarely bragged about her grades, but she was a top student and Potions was her second best subject. 

“Then you’ll be my tutor next term,” he said definitively. “My Father knows I won’t pass my OWLs this year without some help in that subject. If he asks, I’ll tell him you were assigned as my tutor. You’re from a pureblood family and you never technically did anything wrong. I’ll convince him to overlook your past mistakes if he tries to fight it.” 

Evelyn beamed at him. She reached out and took his hand impulsively, and to her surprise he didn’t pull away.

“So we’ll be friends again?” she whispered, and he nodded with a smile of his own. 

Evelyn couldn’t control her joy; she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him close. She savored the scent of him, like clean linen and a cologne she’d never smelled before. She decided instantly that she liked it. After a few moments, he pried her arms from around his neck.

“I still have a reputation to uphold,” he whispered as he placed her arms by her side. He hopped down from his seat at the bar, and Evelyn had half a mind to beg him to stay. “See you around, Evie,” he said with a smile, then he melted into the crowd. 

Evelyn downed the rest of her Butterbeer, then took a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut. She lightly slapped her cheeks, then opened her eyes again. She wasn’t dreaming; this was real. Draco was her friend again, and nothing could bring her down from the emotional high she felt.

She made her way back to the castle, trudging uphill on cloud nine. The cold didn’t bother her, although she’d forgotten her scarf, and she practically skipped through the wet snow. Once she reached the castle, she spotted a familiar form pacing in the courtyard.

“You forgot this,” Fred said, holding out her yellow and black scarf. 

“Oh, thanks,” she said, guilt hitting her like a wrecking ball. She couldn’t look him in the eye, and she could tell by his tone that he’d seen her hug Draco. What could she say to him? That the boy she’d been in love with since the age of nine wanted to be in her life again, and that he meant more to her than anyone else ever could? That wouldn’t do much to console a broken heart. But Fred hardly knew her; surely he didn’t love her. They’d hardly gone on one date; it didn’t mean she belonged to him.

“I’ll see you around,” Fred said when Evelyn remained silent, and she nodded as he headed into the castle. She heaved a sigh and headed down to the lake, wanting to be alone. 

She skipped rocks across the water, trying to weigh her guilt against her elation. How could someone possibly feel as low and as amazing as she did right now? Eventually the light faded, and she headed inside to pack her bags. She’d be returning home for the holidays in the morning, where she could forget the awkwardness with Fred in exchange for the apathy of her parents.

  
  



	5. Holiday

Evelyn smiled to herself as she watched snow fall from her third story bedroom window. It was early in the morning on Boxing Day, and she was expecting a surprise from Draco. He’d sent her a letter wishing her a merry Christmas the day before, and in the postscript he’d alluded to some sort of gift that would arrive today. 

She headed down the hallway past Madeline’s room to the bathroom. Evelyn had learned from a young age that if she didn’t seize the loo first, she’d have to wait half an hour for her sister to finish her complex makeup routine.

Evelyn showered and dressed, then headed down to the first floor for breakfast. Her father sat at the head of the table, sipping on a glass of orange juice from behind a copy of  _ The Daily Prophet _ . Edmond was to his left, rubbing sleep from his eyes as he moved a miniature quidditch player through the air in his small fist. Their mother would be in the kitchen, painstakingly supervising the house-elves to make sure they prepared every detail of the meal to her liking. 

Evelyn sat down beside Edmond and pretended to be a news reporter, interviewing him about his toy. Edmond played along enthusiastically, inventing an elaborate identity for the tiny Seeker. At one point he let out a shrill giggle, and Evelyn reached over to tickle him, only making him laugh more. 

“Will you quit that nonsense? I’m trying to read,” came her father’s gruff voice from behind the newspaper. Evelyn and Edmond sobered just as their mother entered the dining room. 

She held a steaming cup of coffee, which Evelyn knew from experience was spiked with some sort of liquor. Many years had passed since her mother could even make it through breakfast without a drink. 

“Where’s Madeline?” her mother demanded, and her other two children shrugged. “Didn’t anyone teach you to speak when spoken to?” she hissed, and Evelyn held back a sigh. There was just no pleasing her mother. 

“I expect this kind of behavior from my middle child, but I’m disappointed in you, Edmond,” she continued. Evelyn could see tears brimming in her younger brother’s eyes, and she desperately wanted to shout at her mother to leave him alone. But she knew that would only add fuel to her alcoholic fire. 

Thankfully, Madeline chose that moment to enter. Their mother instantly forgot her displeasure as she beamed at her oldest child. 

Madeline was unfairly pretty for someone with her disagreeable disposition, with long auburn hair and hazel eyes that were almost golden. Evelyn believed her sister was her mother’s favorite because their personalities were so similar. Both had a habit of exploding when things did not go exactly as they wanted, or when they perceived some sort of insult against them. They also looked strikingly similar, and Evelyn suspected Madeline reminded her mother of her youth as a model. 

“The post arrived earlier this morning,” their mother announced once the whole family was at the breakfast table. “We received a note from Malfoy Manor, addressed from Narcissa herself,” she said with a breathless air of drama. 

“You’re joking!” Madeline exclaimed, just as their father muttered, “How unusual.”

The Fielding family had received no correspondence from any other pureblood family since news circulated that Evelyn had been sorted into Hufflepuff. Her parents had lost all of their friends, and although Mrs. Fielding had always indulged a bit too heavily in alcohol, this change had set off her downward spiral. Even Madeline, an exemplary Slytherin, had trouble connecting with her friends in years since, as their parents advised them to keep their distance from her. Evelyn had effectively tainted the family honor at the tender age of eleven, and her mother hadn’t directly referred to her by name since then. 

But now that she’d repaired her friendship with Draco, it seemed like that cloud of ostracization was lifting. Could a rekindled bond between her and the Malfoys be the catalyst that would welcome her family back from obscurity and into the open arms of their pureblood friends? 

“What does it say?” Edmond asked as their mother opened the letter and quickly scanned. She let out a melodramatic gasp and covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes huge. Madeline snatched the note from her and read it aloud:

_ “Mrs. Malfoy would like to cordially invite the Fielding family to a New Year’s Eve celebration on December 31.”  _

“But what changed their mind? Why are they suddenly so eager to be seen with the disgraced Fielding clan?” Madeline wondered aloud. 

Evelyn desperately wanted to take credit for the Malfoys’ change of heart, hoping it might make her mother see her in a different light. But something about keeping Draco’s affection a secret outweighed the possibility of her mother’s acceptance. 

“Maybe they decided it was stupid to punish all of us for a decision made by a talking hat,” Edmond muttered. Evelyn smiled, glad her brother was always ready to come to her defense. 

Mrs. Fielding leapt up from her seat, her chair falling backwards. A loud crack echoed through the dining room as she leaned over the table and slapped Edmond across the face. 

“Don’t pretend like your sister’s not at fault for her mistakes,” their mother screamed. “If she wasn’t such a failure, she would be in Slytherin like every other Fielding before her,” she spat. 

A shocked silence fell over the room, only interrupted by Edmond’s quiet sobbing as he cradled his face. 

“Girls, take your brother upstairs,” their father said, finally emerging from behind his newspaper. He stood and took their mother by the shoulders, leading her into his study and closing the door behind them. 

Evelyn and Madeline helped Edmond up to his bedroom on the second floor. He crawled into bed and refused to talk to them, continuing to cry. After a few minutes of standing over him with no idea how to proceed, the two sisters exited his room and agreed to check in on him in an hour. 

“Mother’s getting worse,” Evelyn said as they stood outside of Edmond’s room. 

“Not really. I stopped by a month ago for a surprise visit and she hit him then, too,” Madeline said, her voice uncharacteristically melancholy. 

“You mean this has happened before?” Evelyn asked, shocked. She knew her mother could become unhinged when she let her temper take over, but she’d never imagined that she might hurt one of her children. 

“I think it happens pretty regularly,” Madeline revealed, and Evelyn felt close to tears. Her brother was only nine, and she’d failed to protect him. Even worse, she knew she was the source of most of her mother’s anger and discontent. The combination of letting him down and being the reason their mother hurt him made her feel doubly guilty. 

“There’s not really much we can do about it, though,” Madeline said in a defeated tone, but Evelyn shook her head.

“There has to be something. I won’t let this continue,” she promised. 

“Good luck with that,” Madeline muttered without any confidence. “Anyway, what are you going to wear to the Malfoys’ party?” she asked, her inflection bright as she changed the subject. 

Evelyn stared at her, baffled by her ability to compartmentalize.

“What? Like I said, there’s nothing we can do about Mother being a bitch. So, wotcha gonna wear?” she repeated. 

“I don’t really have anything suitable,” Evelyn admitted, deciding her older sister was right. Did it make her a bad person to talk about parties and clothes while her little brother sobbed a few yards away? Perhaps. But the more she thought about it, about finally redeeming her family’s reputation, the less it mattered. She smiled as she realized that she’d be seeing Draco in less than a week’s time. 

“Come on, let’s go upstairs. I bet I have something you can wear,” Madeline offered. 

“Why are you suddenly being so nice to me?” Evelyn asked, and Madeline wrapped an arm around her shoulders as she led her upstairs. 

“When mothers fly off the handle, sisters have to stick together,” she said simply, and Evelyn laughed despite herself. 

“You do realize that anything in your closet won’t fit me, right?” Evelyn asked as Madeline pulled her into her room. Evelyn didn’t  _ hate  _ her appearance, but she’d always seen herself as a less-glamorous version of her sister. Her hair and eyes were a boring chocolate brown, and she was shorter with a fuller bust and hips than the tall and willowy Madeline. Any outfit that looked elegant on Madeline was bound to make Evelyn look like a dwarf sausage. 

“I’m a witch and a tailor, for Merlin’s sake,” Madeline said with a roll of her eyes. She crossed the room and threw open the doors to her walk-in closet. “Have a bit more faith in my abilities.”

Evelyn walked over to her bed and gingerly sat down. She hadn’t been in her sister’s old room in years, but not much had changed. Although Madeline now lived in a flat in London, she often visited home and thus kept her room organized to her liking. Everything was pastel and neat, a far cry from Evelyn’s neutral tones and muggle books hidden beneath the floorboards.

“This should do nicely,” Madeline said as she produced a shimmering golden mini dress.

“Mother would never let me wear that,” Evelyn said disbelievingly. The dress looked to be incredibly short. And it was backless, so she wouldn’t be able to wear a bra; while that may not have been an issue for Madeline, Evelyn needed as much bust support as she could get. 

“Nonsense! It’ll be longer on you, and we’ll change it up so you can wear a strapless bra,” she reasoned. “Just try it on,” she urged when Evelyn continued to frown at her. 

“Fine. But if Mother hates it, I’m blaming you,” she snapped as she snatched the dress and headed to the bathroom. Evelyn felt exposed, tugging down on the hem to cover as much of her thighs as she could. She kept her bra on, wincing in the mirror at the bright purple that jarringly stood out against the golden fabric. 

“Look at you!” Madeline exclaimed as Evelyn returned to the bedroom. She pulled Evelyn over to a three paneled mirror and tossed her a pair of gold heels. “I transfigured them to your size,” she explained. Evelyn stepped into the shoes, grateful for her decent balance. 

“Now, about this dress,” Madeline muttered, biting her lip and tapping her chin with the point of her wand. “I think we’ll do  _ this _ ,” she said finally, pointing her wand as Evelyn’s right arm in the mirror. 

The long sleeve disappeared, so that on her left she had full coverage, and on the right the dress was strapless. Then Madeline turned her to the side and pointed her wand at Evelyn’s back in the mirror, changing the dress so that it covered the lower half of her shoulder blades. Although she’d expected to hate it, Evelyn actually liked the single-sleeve shimmering mini dress her reflection wore. 

“I love it,” Evelyn whispered, turning to see the dress at every angle. 

“Perfect!” Madeline exclaimed with a beaming smile. “It should only take me a few hours to make the alterations, then it’s all yours.”

“Thank you,” Evelyn told her, stepping away from the mirror. Her sister handed her the clothes she’d worn before, and she went to the bathroom to change. 

“We should probably go check on Ed,” Madeline suggested when she returned, and the two sisters made their way downstairs. Evelyn knocked on his door and she heard a weak but decidedly more chipper voice call for them to enter. 

Edmond sat on the floor playing with his miniature quidditch pitch. 

“Can we join?” Madeline asked, and he nodded. The three siblings spent the rest of the afternoon playing with Edmond’s toys, all of them doing their best to forget the unpleasantries of that morning. 

***

Five days later, Evelyn stood beneath the grand chandelier in the ballroom of Malfoy Manor. Madeline stood beside her in a floor-length crimson gown. But for the first time in her life, Evelyn did not feel overshadowed by her older sister. Their mother had failed to comment when she’d seen Evelyn’s dress, and she considered that a sign that the night would go well. 

Mr. Fielding had already vanished into the crowd in a puff of cigar smoke, eager to rejoin his buddies. Their mother made a point of reintroducing herself and Madeline to people she’d known for decades, intentionally failing to mention her second daughter. After twenty minutes of being ignored, Evelyn left her sister’s side and explored the party on her own. 

Eventually she drifted away from the dance floor, following the sound of more upbeat music coming from down the hall. She stepped through an open doorway and into pandemonium. Pureblood teens she recognized from Hogwarts were strewn about couches and chairs in a large sitting room, passing a suspicious-looking potion between them. Whatever they were drinking had made them delirious, shouting and cackling laughter drowning out the pop music. 

So, this was what she’d missed out on during her years in social isolation — drugs and debauchery. She was about to leave the commotion and return to the world of the adults, confident that this was not the place for her, when she noticed a handsome young man dislodge himself from the crowd and head her way.

He’d combed his platinum blond hair back from his face, and he held himself in a dignified manner that distinguished him from the group. He wore a simple charcoal grey suit and tie, accentuated by a confident smile. It took her much longer than it should have for Evelyn to recognize Draco as the young man who stood before her. He looked strikingly handsome, although she was sure that wasn’t something she should say. He looked at a loss for words as well, but his silence appeared self-assured while she was sure hers was plainly awkward.

“You came,” was all he said as he stepped forward and took her arm. “This isn’t the place for you. Let’s go dance,” he said in a low voice. She had to lean close to hear him over the noise of the other teens and the music, allowing her to get a whiff of his delightful scent. 

Again, she was slow to process his words. Dance? Draco Malfoy wanted to dance with  _ her _ ? Surely this must be a dream. He led her towards the door just as another girl, probably a fourth year, ran forward to block their path. 

“You aren’t leaving, are you Draco?” she whined, tossing her blonde hair. Thankfully, he seemed uninterested. 

“Yes, we’re going to rejoin the party,” he said curtly. He tried to sidestep her, but she stuck out her hand towards Evelyn to keep them from leaving.

“I’m Astoria Greengrass,” she said with a presumptuous air that only pureblood girls seemed to possess. “I don’t believe I’ve seen you around the Slytherin common room,” she added with a hint of distaste, already suggesting that Evelyn was beneath her. 

“She’s a Hufflepuff,” Draco explained shortly, and the girl’s eyes widened. 

“Then what is she doing  _ here _ ?” she whispered, as though the scandal might infect the other party goers if she spoke too loud. 

“She’s here because she’s my friend,” Draco told her, and with that he took Evelyn by the hand and led her out of the room. 

Evelyn was surprised; she thought Draco would have wanted to keep her status as secret as possible, to avoid the shame that came along with her situation. But he seemed unafraid of what anyone else might think of her, and this gave her the courage to feel the same.

“Thanks for standing up for me,” she told him, still not used to being on his good side and thus unsure of what to say. He led her to the dance floor and placed a hand on her waist as she rested hers on his shoulder. 

“She’s an annoying brat,” he muttered, and Evelyn grinned. 

“She’s quite pretty though,” she mused. Truthfully, Astoria was rather stunning, even for someone her age. She had long blonde hair that cascaded down her back and luminous green eyes. Evelyn couldn’t deny that she was a little jealous of the other girl’s looks. 

“No amount of pretty can make up for an unpleasant personality,” he said, and her heart soared. If Draco wasn’t interested in Astoria, that meant she had one less girl to worry about stealing his heart before she won him over. 

“Am I pretty?” she asked, and the moment the words left her mouth she wanted them back. What kind of silly question was that? And now she’d put Draco in an awkward position, he probably wouldn’t even answer and she’d be left —

“Of course you’re pretty. You’re beautiful, Evie,” he told her. She stared at him in shock and he smiled. Evelyn wanted to memorize the look on his face, the penetrating grey eyes and the softness in his voice when he’d called her beautiful. 

They continued to dance, and although she may have imagined it, Evelyn felt as though Draco was holding her closer now.

“Come on, there’s something I want to show you,” he said once the third song ended. “I know it’s cold out, but you don’t need your coat. It’s only a short walk,” he said as they exited the ballroom. He took her to a door that she knew led to the expansive grounds behind the Manor.

“Why are we going to your mother’s greenhouse?” she asked through chattering teeth as they stepped into the cold December night. Snow still blanketed the ground, and Evelyn was amazed she could actually walk in the heels Madeline had given her. 

“We’re not going to the greenhouse,” he said, making a left turn. They walked along the East side of the sprawling building until they came upon a massive tree. 

“Your treehouse!” Evelyn cried in excitement, running up to the giant oak. About fifteen feet from the ground, suspended in the tree’s limbs, was a substantial one-room cabin. Steps circled the tree’s trunk, and Draco took her by the hand as he led her up to their childhood fortress. 

Once they were inside, the cold disappeared, as his father had charmed the treehouse to produce heat in the winter and cool air in the summer. Evelyn looked around in fascination. The toys she and Draco used to play with were strewn across the floor as though they’d been abandoned just yesterday. 

“I knew you’d appreciate coming back here after all these years,” he said, watching her fawn over toy soldiers and wooden blocks. “But this is what I really wanted you to see,” he said, taking her by the hand again and leading her over to the large window. As she stared out over the sprawling lawns of Malfoy Manor, memories of building snowmen and snowball fights with Draco came flooding back. She hadn’t realized just how much she missed spending time here as a child until now. 

A huge booming sound exploded out of nowhere, and a moment later lights flashed in the sky. 

“Fireworks!” she cried, throwing her hands up in excitement. Evelyn had loved magical firework shows since she was little, and she was sure they had a better view here in the treehouse than everyone on the crowded veranda of the Manor. 

“Happy New Year, Evie,” Draco said, putting an arm around her shoulder as they stared up into the sky, their faces illuminated by changing lights. She looked over at him, blue green and red flashing in his grey eyes. She desperately wanted to kiss him — wasn’t that how people celebrated the New Year? It wouldn’t be  _ that _ odd if she just leaned over and… 

But then a smile broke out across his face, and Evelyn got the sinking feeling that this was the last time she’d see him so happy, so at ease. She didn’t know where the feeling came from, but something dark was coming. And she would not ruin his last fleeting moment of peace with a kiss. 

***

“Father?”

Mr. Fielding looked up from his paperwork to see his younger daughter standing in the doorway. Evelyn had grown so much in the past few months; he hardly recognized the little girl he used to toss into the air or push on a swing set. She looked more like him than her mother; she’d inherited his dark eyes and the way the corners of her lips pulled downward when she was upset. Evelyn wore that expression now, and he knew the reason.

“Yes?” he replied, not wanting to have this conversation but knowing it was inevitable after last week’s breakfast. Evelyn probably didn’t want to have this talk either, and that was why she’d waited until the evening before she returned to Hogwarts to approach him. 

“Something needs to be done about Mother,” she said definitively, and he felt his heart surge with pride. 

He had never resented his younger daughter for their fall from popularity with the other pureblood families. Sure, he’d missed his buddies. But for a man, family always came first. He knew his wife didn’t feel the same. She despised Evelyn, and so he’d kept quiet. Upon reflection, he probably should have stood up for her more, but staying out of the fray and letting his wife have her moments had been easier at the time. 

But now Evelyn wanted him to do something. What could he do? His wife was out of control, more interested in drinking than anything else life offered. She was beyond help as far as he was concerned. 

“What can we do?” he asked, genuinely at a loss, and Evelyn’s eyes filled with tears. 

“I don’t know, but it’s not fair for Edmond. It’s all my fault, and he’s the one suffering,” she said, her voice cracking towards the end. He wanted to tell her that it wasn’t her fault, that it was  _ his _ fault for not stepping up and protecting his children when the time called for action. But he was not that kind of man. 

“Perhaps Edmond should go spend some time with your grandparents,” he suggested, and he saw a flicker of hope in Evelyn’s eyes. “That would give him a chance to get away from all the… unpleasantries at home.”

Evelyn agreed, and for a moment he thought she might run forward and hug him, tell him she loved him like she used to when she was small. Instead she nodded, proud and dignified as any Slytherin, and then left him to his work.

  
  



End file.
